Home News Richland Two responds to release of state report cards

Richland Two responds to release of state report cards

11/29/2018

On November 29, 2018, the S.C. Department of Education released the new school and district report cards as part of the state’s merged state and federal accountability system. The 2018 report cards included information on school safety, classroom environment, graduation rate, student academic progress, and college and career readiness and additional academic information based on 2017-2018 data.

With the release of the new report cards, Richland School District Two reaffirms to our parents and community that our district is committed to the process of continuous improvement. Examining data and making data-informed decisions is one of five Principal Practices, which, along with our Core Values and Universal Goals, provide the foundation for our Pathway to Premier Strategic Plan. Our data review process is cyclical, occurring on multiple occasions throughout the school year using a variety of data sets. The new report cards add to the myriad of data sets we already use to measure progress and chart our next steps.

Dr. Baron R. Davis, superintendent of Richland Two, said, “I commend our teachers and school instructional leaders for their commitment to using data to enhance teaching and learning for our students. With the use of a district-wide data protocol implemented in 2016, our teachers continue to systematically approach the review and use of student achievement data in making instructional decisions.”

While the report cards provide some useful data, there are important factors to consider when reviewing the information. The School Quality score is only based on students’ responses to an engagement survey and is not a measure of overall school quality. Additionally, the ranking system used to calculate this score does not accurately reflect some schools’ levels of engagement. For example, a school in Richland Two with 58.1% of students at the committed level of engagement and a participation rate of 96.1% earns the same number of points as a school elsewhere in the state that did not participate in the survey at all.

For Richland Two, the new report cards reflect areas of strength and help to identify areas where improvement is needed. We continue to diligently progress along the Pathway to Premier by focusing on achievement, talent, and culture and environment — the universal goals in our strategic plan.

The new online state report cards are available at: https://www.screportcards.com/

The EOC has developed a Guide to the 2018 SC School Report Cards.

The U.S. Department of Education has developed A Parent Guide to State and Local Report Cards.

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, states must identify schools that meet certain criteria that classify them as schools in need of improvement. The South Carolina Department of Education has developed a South Carolina School Improvement Designation document explaining the criteria, identifications, and support these schools receive. The list of schools classified under each improvement designation will be released soon.